Oligoclonal Banding Question

[slightlybroken]

I know that this question has probably been address before but do you have to have some oligoclonal banding show up in your LP, otherwise MS is not a possible DX? And if not, how come a lot of  neurologist insist that you do have to have it while others say you don't in early stages of the disease? It's confusing to me when each neurologist has such a difference in opinoin about this issue.

[slightlybroken]

bump

[essdipity]

No, a positive LP is NOT necessary for an MS diagnosis. Most people do have + (see several recent posts and threads) but certainly not all, including me. Maybe much later in the disease course virtually everyone is positive. I'm sure not planning another LP though. The first and only was totally uneventful and I'm leaving it that way.

If neuros insist on this for a diagnosis, they are just plain wrong, and they are not as knowledgeable as many of the laypersons here.

ess

[slightlybroken]

Thanks for your response...I was wondering because when I went to my neuro appointment this past Friday (which went horribly), the doctor told me that you have to have o-banding. When my husband ask her about o-banding not being present in the early stages of MS..she said that it doesn't matter if you are early in the disease or not. There will be o-banding and she said that if my test was normal then I don't have MS but then she said that the LP is 90% accurate so I'm a little confused by those statements.

[cjacks]

SB

I'm not dx.d but my neuro is now leaning towards ms .. I have no o-bands. He said I've probably had a mild case as he thinks the first episode happened in 92 and then nothing except the occasional banding in my foot.

I was confused . If I started this back then , that is about 15 yrs. ,  and seems enough time to have developed the bands.   Unless having a milder case means a much slower progression of everything , including the o-bands .  Hope that made sense.

Something for discussion on the next visit.

Jo

[slightlybroken]

That makes perfect since. Thank you for the response. I guess since MS effects people differently maybe the o-banding would be effected differently also. It's just confusing when doctors tell you one thing and everything else you read, says something different.

[cjacks]

SB

There is a good thread by Santana on  Feb. 28 , with a good answer by Quix.  Also you can type 'o-bands' in the box at the right , at the top of page labeled Search this community

Jo

[jensequitur]

According to the McDonald criteria, o-banding isn't necessary for a diagnosis, but if there isn't any o-banding, then other signs have to be present - like clinically verifiable flareups of symptoms, lesions in the brain, or an infratentorial (outside the cortex) lesion.